Natasha Limbrick said the outpouring help from many neighbors in Holmwood was much appreciated.

"While the firefighters were trying to put out the fire, they brought a blanket for the boys and chairs to sit in," Limbrick said. "Some of them brought drinks, and one woman reached into her purse and just gave me $60."

The first few hours and days are something of a blur. Natasha Limbrick remembers going to Wal-Mart to try to get a few things she needed, like baby bottles.

"I didn't have any shoes. I wore a pair of Karlin's tennis shoes that were in the trunk of the car. People in the store were staring at me because I was all sooted up," Limbrick said. "But I just needed to get underwear and outfits for the kids for the next day. I borrowed a dress."

Natasha Limbrick said shock settled in and she cried for three days straight and didn't want to come out of her room.

"But people think you get a check and everything is taken care of," Limbrick said. "That's just the beginning. There's still an unbelievable amount of work to do and decisions to be made."

They looked at houses to rent, but Natasha Limbrick decided that trying to buy new furniture to fit a rent house and then move it to another house didn't make sense.

For eight months she and her family lived with her mother in a two-bedroom, one-bath house.

"We had to get up earlier and take turns so everyone could get their bathroom time," Limbrick said.

She and her husband both work in Woodville at the Gib Lewis Unit of the prison system. The new schedule meant she had to get up at 3 a.m. to get her family ready for school and work.

A brother-in-law from Florida gave them a brief vacation in Jacksonville, and when the couple returned, Natasha Limbrick began the long journey to rebuild her home in earnest.

What does it take? It takes looking at house plans, trying to find the perfect plan that also fits the budget. Natasha Limbrick looked at eplans.com and through countless books of plans.

By August, the family was ready to put $50,000 down to begin construction.

That's it, journey's end, right?

Not quite. That's the first step. The Limbricks had a wish list of design changes that included expanding attic space to made a media room, adding a deck for entertaining to the back, and making a side entry garage for more "curb appeal."

"He told me he would like to do a design in the dining room, and told me that it was costly," Limbrick said, "but when he showed me some books of jobs he had done in California, I wanted to do it."

Limbrick told Frick that rather than beams across the ceiling, she had in mind a diamond pattern.

Frick put beams and molding to create the impression of a vaulted ceiling rising to a diamond shadow box at the center, and shadow box molding and oversize baseboards repeated around the walls.

"Everything takes so much time," Limbrick said. "You don't realize until you do it. I spent six hours at Lowe's just picking out light fixtures. Karlin called to see where I was all day."

The journey finally ended right before Easter when the family moved into their new two-story home, her new furniture from Ashley's was delivered, and they finally had enough bathrooms for kids and parents.

She said what kept her going was the outpouring of help and support from the community.

From the first night when so many neighbors came to offer drinks and snacks and comfort, the family has been uplifted by the community involvement.

She said Texas State Bank set up a benefit account for them and people were generous. Even with good insurance, she said there are so many things you don't even think about that have to be replaced.